While it’s been confirmed that Google is looking into offering wireless service through some new network aggregation technologies in conjunction with Sprint and T-Mobile, we haven’t gotten many details on what, exactly, they were looking to do differently. A new leak may have shone a whole beacon of light on some of the details, though.
According to details uncovered by Android Police thanks to a leaked app that will be used to support the service, Google’s wireless network — referred to as Nova in many previous rumors, but also now known as Project Fi — could charge you only for the exact amount of data you use. That is to say, there won’t be any unlimited data (as much as we would all hope from an internet-strong company like Google), but instead a “pay-as-you-go” approach.
The thinking is that there will be a set per-gigabyte price and you buy however much you need by the gigabyte, but if you don’t use up your full gigabyte Google will credit you for the remainder. We’d hope such a plan would come with some very low rates instead of the outrageous per-gigabyte prices set forth by the country’s four major carriers. As for talk and text, you’ll have a flat rate and allowance for those much like any carrier offers these days.
Other interesting aspects of the service include a way to seamlessly switch your service to a different phone using an app, the ability to share buckets of data across however many lines you want, data-only plans for tablets, and even a way to opt out of sharing your cellular usage data with Google (yes, folks, your current carrier keeps an alarming amount of information about the calls you make).
Google would be a very new player in this arena, though if their approach to entering the broadband internet game is anything to judge by they could help shake up the wireless industry in a big way.
Take Google Fiber, for instance — it might not be as widespread as we would like just yet, but Google’s ability to offer gigabit speeds for the cost of typical internet service in the United States has already sparked major competition. Cable companies left and right rush to upgrade speeds and lower prices whenever Google’s pipes roll into town, and it helps bring a breath of fresh air into the industry that only genuine competition is able to provide.
We all know the wireless industry desperately needs much of the same (kudos to T-Mobile for getting the ball rolling) and Google’s arrival could be the turning point we’ve all been waiting for.
